Search found 629 matches

by Quirkz
Tue Sep 05, 2023 10:55 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Investing part of portfolio in individual stocks
Replies: 57
Views: 5869

Re: Investing part of portfolio in individual stocks

Beating the market is a worthless goal Exactly. "Beating the market" is a phrase invented by stock brokers, who needed to justify their existence in order to sell you stocks on commission. YOU (and the rest of us) don't need to beat the market. YOU (and the rest of us) just need to have adequate retirement funds. We could all under-perform the market and probably be fine if we invested enough, long enough, but why risk under-performing when you can match the market easily for free? Knowing the difference between "good enough" and "it'd be nice if it worked, but it's too risky" is the largest part of this battle. That said, for those tho really, really love tinkering or doing the research, there's nothing wrong...
by Quirkz
Tue Aug 15, 2023 3:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bloomberg Why the rich don’t feel rich.
Replies: 164
Views: 18872

Re: Bloomberg Why the rich don’t feel rich.

protagonist wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 8:58 am
Median home price in Oahu this year is around $1,100,000.
If you own one like that and are debt-free, regardless of when you bought it, you are wealthy.
One of the conclusions to draw from something like this is that home value doesn't do a lot to help anyone feel rich. It may be contributing to your net worth, but you can't tap into it without upending your life, and you still have to find another house to live in at the end of the process. Also, the higher value the house, it's probably contributing increasingly to other expenses (taxes, upkeep, furniture).

One of the profiles listed someone who bought at $200k and now had $1m in their house -- they don't feel rich because there's nothing to DO with that.
by Quirkz
Mon Aug 07, 2023 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Unlock value of low interest mortgage?
Replies: 95
Views: 8616

Re: Unlock value of low interest mortgage?

I realize no-one is forcing me to do anything, but I keep hearing that folks in low interest rate mortgages feel "trapped" in their situation, and cannot change house without major penalty. I do not like feeling trapped into this house. I feel like you could have opened a little better, as the difference between "I've been hearing about other people, what do they do" and "what do I do" might not be the same thing. But I think you've got multiple options, you just may not like them: * you can stay put and enjoy the loan, maybe delaying paying it off and investing instead * you can move if you really need to, but your loan would be at a higher interest rate * you can pay down the current loan so that when you mo...
by Quirkz
Tue Aug 01, 2023 4:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: The $200,000 Experiment [sitting out September]
Replies: 42
Views: 10113

Re: The $200,000 Experiment [sitting out September]

Never heard of that one, but Google supports the historical fact. I still say:
1) yep, it's market timing, and antithetical to Boglehead practice
2) as there's no clear reason why it happens, there's no clear reason to expect the trend to continue, instead of reverting to the mean
by Quirkz
Mon Jul 31, 2023 5:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How do you keep track of whether your salary is keeping up with market?
Replies: 47
Views: 4580

Re: How do you keep track of whether your salary is keeping up with market?

I don't, really. Compensation is important, and I do pay attention to whether I'm getting raises or opportunities. But there's an awful lot of other stuff, including job satisfaction, the relationship with the boss and the team, the location/commute, the quality of benefits, at my current job there's also the pension to consider, and the hassle of interviewing and changing everything if I don't want to stay put. If all else is good, I'm unlikely to go looking unless the differential between what I'm making and what the market offers is massive. On the other hand I intentionally took a pay cut a few years ago in exchange for improved quality of life and other benefits. But for the most part, unless there are multiple other issues making me w...
by Quirkz
Mon Jul 31, 2023 3:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Purchase < $1000?
Replies: 231
Views: 28752

Re: Best Purchase < $1000?

Here's a simple and very cheap one. Custom keys. For $3-$5, you can get copies of your keys in a distinctive color or with a printed image on them. Get a different color or picture for each door you use. Make a set with the same image for your household spare keys. Much less time fumbling through a set trying to remember which is which.

May not make sense if you don't carry many keys, but if you have even a few, the differentiation is nice, and for the ones I don't use much, it's a helpful memory jog.
by Quirkz
Thu Jul 27, 2023 1:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can I retire in 5 years (please say yes)?
Replies: 48
Views: 7597

Re: Can I retire in 5 years (please say yes)?

marcopolo wrote: Thu Jul 27, 2023 1:15 pm
I honestly can't tell if it is a form of humble bragging, or if the posters really can't do basic math.
As a Bogleheads member, the one thing you can be sure I ask here is if I can retire, even if I'm 100% sure the numbers work out. Of course I'm probably retiring with numbers a lot less slam dunk than what the OP listed, but it's still the one thing I'm definitely bringing up here in advance, regardless.
by Quirkz
Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can I afford a new nicer car next year?
Replies: 37
Views: 4027

Re: Can I afford a new nicer car next year?

I'm going contrarian here, but I'm a car guy. Sure I have a beat up base model MkV VW I bought new and self maintained in BH style. But I did not hesitate to TLH and buy a lightly used sports car last year cash. Its a car I wanted, and I'm on the path to where I want to be. So I'm going to enjoy the trip down that path. Its so much nicer than the VW, and I still take the beater to the grocery store. I'm not a car guy, and mostly think they're a terrible waste of money. But I still mostly agree with scwank here, because I do believe in weighing if a thing is "worth it" for you. Based on the age, income, and savings, you definitely have room in your budget for an expensive thing that makes you happy. If the car will do that, go for...
by Quirkz
Mon Jun 26, 2023 5:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: So I have always believed paying cash for a vehicle is then best way to go, however...
Replies: 75
Views: 11324

Re: So I have always believed paying cash for a vehicle is then best way to go, however...

No, it's worse than that. You're paying taxes not on the DIFFERENCE between the 5% you receive and the 2% you pay, but rather, on the full 5%. Let's say you're at 35% marginal tax rate. So you receive 5% * (1-.35) = 3.25% after tax, but pay 2%, so you're only clearing 1.25% * 25000 = $312 in the first year. Car loans amortize quickly, moreso if they're giving you a favorable rate. If it's a 3 year loan, then the TOTAL interest arbitrage in the above scenario is about $450, and that's *IF* interest rates on savings stay at ~5%. If you can get a different incentive for paying cash, that's likely worthwhile. Also, car loans are one more thing to keep track of , and also may stipulate that you have a lower deductible on your car insurance than...
by Quirkz
Wed Jun 21, 2023 11:09 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I feel like I'm missing out on Tesla
Replies: 62
Views: 6343

Re: I feel like I'm missing out on Tesla

mw1739 wrote: Wed Jun 21, 2023 7:27 am tell me about it. My neighbor bought a Rolls Royce with his Tesla earnings.
Now that is funny! Ironic, and funny.
by Quirkz
Wed Jun 21, 2023 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much time for the second million?
Replies: 57
Views: 13312

Re: How much time for the second million?

Right now, we invest about $500 a month, and have just over 950K in retirement, and about 78K in savings. Please don't get me wrong, I *am* very grateful to be here (the last few years have been good to us) but given that we are inching closer to retirement and have a child with a disability we have to provide for for life, I am quite nervous that we may not make the 2nd million. Is there a way to determine how much we should be putting aside each month (and what rate should I assume going forward) to assure that we can hit the next million in the next... well... 10 years? There are a million savings and investment calculators out there. Find one with an interface that works for you and play with it. Just after random googling I tried the ...
by Quirkz
Tue Jun 20, 2023 2:29 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is it safe to retire?
Replies: 18
Views: 2470

Re: Is it safe to retire?

I will have to take 5% withdrawals for two years till my SS kicks in, then go to 4% till my wife's SS kicks in 2 years after that. Afterward my withdrawals will be around 3.2%. Is that safe enough? Taking a little bigger withdrawals early and then reducing my withdrawal percentage in 4 years. I would be comfortable with what you describe. The general recommendation at 4% is for your ongoing/perpetual withdrawal. Having a few years of lumps up front before that settles in is no big deal, and if it makes you feel better you could subtract those lumps from the 2.4M, label that part a one-time expense, and reframe your thinking as the percentage of the slightly smaller nest egg. An ongoing 3.2% is great, even conservative. You should be fine. ...
by Quirkz
Sat Jun 17, 2023 9:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: anybody know much about the medical coding business?
Replies: 13
Views: 2028

Re: anybody know much about the medical coding business?

Thanks for the input, all. I'll pass it along and we'll think things over a bit.

I think in our case it's likely to be a decent fit, but it's good to know the pros and cons better going in.
by Quirkz
Fri Jun 16, 2023 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: anybody know much about the medical coding business?
Replies: 13
Views: 2028

anybody know much about the medical coding business?

My wife's been looking for different sorts of work, and has recently learned about medical coding. On the surface it looks like it may be a good fit. She's got a biological science background, and she wants something that's work from home and possibly flexible on the hours. Reports are there's a shortage of people with that skill and there seem to be a lot of open positions at a nearby research hospital. She'd have to take a class or two and pass some tests, but we're excited about the possibility. Just figured I'd check the community wisdom to make sure this is a real business pursuit and not, say, on the scammier side like some of the old technical training systems out there. Or if there are any real gotchas or pitfalls with that type of ...
by Quirkz
Fri Jun 16, 2023 10:54 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Any benefit to "micro rebalancing?"
Replies: 19
Views: 1610

Re: Any benefit to "micro rebalancing?"

Thanks. In my case, it would be zero cost / tax hit and take 5 minutes, so I might strongly consider it, pending additional responses in this thread. Some of the retirement accounts I have include restrictions against trading too frequently. I think the exact objection is to buying and then selling (or selling and then buying) the same fund within a 90-day period. If yours has the same restrictions you might not want to make trades when you're still out of band, because if there's a sudden large change soon after you could be locked out of rebalancing when you actually need to. As one example, I'd done some minor rebalancing in January 2020 after doing my annual review of my funds, and then when the big covid dip happened in March it trigg...
by Quirkz
Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:58 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Total Market Index vs S&P 500 Index
Replies: 43
Views: 13056

Re: Total Market Index vs S&P 500 Index

Yep, two highly correlated things are nearly interchangeable. It's like asking, "If I wanted to put a tracking device on someone, should I put it on their left shoe or their right shoe, or both?" You might get small differences in results occasionally, but overall basically irrelevant. :P
by Quirkz
Wed May 17, 2023 12:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax questions for wife's sole proprietorship (writer and editor)
Replies: 17
Views: 1871

Re: Tax questions for wife's sole proprietorship (writer and editor)

brew wrote: Wed May 17, 2023 8:42 am I just didn't know how much of a "stickler" we should be on insisting those clients provide 1099s. I understand we need to claim all income regardless.
I've done several different kinds of freelance work over the previous few decades -- editing a few dozen books, building a bunch of web sites, some carpentry projects -- and I have never once had a private individual give me a 1099. Corporations, yes, every time, but I think most individuals just aren't prepared for and probably won't even think of filling out that kind of tax form. The IRS has never given me any hassle about it. Nothing to worry about there.
by Quirkz
Tue May 16, 2023 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax questions for wife's sole proprietorship (writer and editor)
Replies: 17
Views: 1871

Re: Tax questions for wife's sole proprietorship (writer and editor)

I'm in a fairly similar setup (one sole proprietorship for writing and editing; one S-Corp partnership for a separate project) but I'm no tax expert and you're already getting good advice. I'm trying to think of what else useful I may be able to add. * Be aware S-Corp filings are due sooner than the rest of the tax forms, in mid-March instead of mid-April. Your wife's partner and/or account probably already knows this, but it may be good to make sure the first year or two until things become routine. * As noted by others, it's very common for individuals who are hiring for editing work to not provide any tax forms. Your wife should be tracking and reporting this income regardless. Unless there's a large volume of these, an Excel spreadsheet...
by Quirkz
Tue May 09, 2023 4:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My Brother Liquidated His Entire Retirement and I'm ... Jealous?
Replies: 224
Views: 27429

Re: My Brother Liquidated His Entire Retirement and I'm ... Jealous?

They have no more debt and they are basically starting over. By paying off all their debts, his wife's income is enough to cover everything, and he can just focus on building the house (and he is mostly capable, tot). I look at my family's own balance sheet and realize we could quite easily do the same. We could actually pay off all of our debt and still have a couple hundred thousand in retirement. It's clear the debt weighs on you. But I think the wise answer is to carefully manage your income or expenses in a way that you pay off the debt and keep it off, without sacrificing your plans for the future. Live within your means and you'll get there, probably pretty quickly. If you go chasing quick fixes you'll more likely find a big mess, a...
by Quirkz
Fri Apr 28, 2023 4:51 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How many are holding cash right now?
Replies: 203
Views: 31418

Re: How many are holding cash right now?

adave wrote: Fri Apr 28, 2023 2:12 pm Sitting on cash doesn’t bother me at all. Rushing into investing every last cent when 5% risk free is available makes no sense in my opinion.
Where are people actually getting 5%? I've been seeing that quoted left and right, but when I spot check a few banks I'm seeing 3.5% - 4% for online savings accounts or CDs. Is there a bunch of wishful thinking and creative rounding up going on, or am I looking in the wrong places?
by Quirkz
Fri Apr 21, 2023 6:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Predict your refund date!
Replies: 8
Views: 686

Re: Predict your refund date!

toddthebod wrote: Fri Apr 21, 2023 6:13 pm (To be clear the X's were actual numbers.)
Of course they are, they're Roman numerals. A return of $10,101,010.1010 is quite large. You may want to adjust your withholdings.

:P
by Quirkz
Thu Apr 20, 2023 3:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Side Hustle Culture Worth It?
Replies: 77
Views: 7322

Re: Side Hustle Culture Worth It?

The second job question isn't that complicated. It starts with, do you have enough money now, or need/want more? Or do you have a deep ambition to own your own business? Then it becomes do you have the time and energy to pursue a second job? And are the tradeoffs on time and energy worth the money?

That's pretty much the whole thing right there.
by Quirkz
Wed Apr 12, 2023 11:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Side hustles for mid to late career folks
Replies: 112
Views: 16511

Re: Side hustles for mid to late career folks

As one gets deeper into their career, side hustles / second jobs tend to fall off because you're either already at peak earning potential and doing well, or you're just too busy with the first job, or you're too busy with work/life balance. If you want a second job, you have to be in a situation where it's worth your time and energy, and also doesn't detract from the primary job. A few places where it might work: * you have a professional expertise from the main job that you can also use as a freelancer elsewhere * you've always wanted to start a business and be your own boss, so you build one up while keeping the day job, with the possibility of becoming fully self employed if things go well * you have something else you really enjoy doing...
by Quirkz
Fri Mar 31, 2023 8:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What are some of the best grills under $750? | First time buyer
Replies: 84
Views: 7548

Re: What are some of the best grills under $750? | First time buyer

It may be too late, but I'm going to be one of the frugal contrarians here. This is sort of like someone asking "What are some of the best pens for under $50" and then getting a bunch of Mont Blanc (or whatever) plugs because they're the best, while the Pilot G2 meets a majority of the comfort and consistency needs for $2 apiece. Okay, I've probably just scandalized half the crowd with that analogy. A grill is a space with some fire. The fire doesn't change if you have molded unibody construction, the food doesn't taste different if there's a crafty cantilevered hinge on the lid. Avoid the worst of the shoddy, wobbly pieces of junk and you're fine. You want it to light. You want it to not fall apart. You probably want a thermomete...
by Quirkz
Fri Mar 31, 2023 5:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How long have you been in your current house?
Replies: 148
Views: 12555

Re: How long have you been in your current house?

I'm clearly going to bring the average down: 2.5 years Before that 6 years, 7 years, 3 years, for the ones I've owned. Prior to that with rentals I moved a lot, nearly every year. I'll admit I get fidgety after a while. Newer, bigger, sometimes just different, on top of changing life circumstances, and it's hard to stay in one place that long. The current place is really, really close to the "dream home" for our income level and circumstances, and I think it's likely we'll stay here long enough for the kids to go to college and for me to retire (so 10-20 more years, depending). But even now we wonder what it might be like with a condo in a big city or a cottage at the beach. Those are probably for playing around in retirement, tho...
by Quirkz
Mon Mar 06, 2023 4:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bucket List: Travel to Top 10 Sunsets
Replies: 58
Views: 4912

Re: Bucket List: Travel to Top 10 Sunsets

Neahkanie beach in Manzanita, Oregon. Just a bit down from the fairly famous Canon City, and it doesn't have the huge rocks, but it's quieter, less crowded, and more personal. Locals will walk out, some lugging chairs, to plop down and sit for 10, 20, 30 minutes and watch the sunset.
by Quirkz
Sat Feb 18, 2023 1:06 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: File return for dependent if nothing is owed or expected back?
Replies: 18
Views: 1435

Re: File return for dependent if nothing is owed or expected back?

jebmke wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2023 5:22 pm
Quirkz wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2023 5:18 pm Do you need to file to get the social security credits? I skipped one year in college because I figured it didn't matter, but the gap in the social security history has bugged me ever since.
no; the W2 gets filed by the employer
Huh. As I think about it, basically none of my college employment is on the record. I don't know what's up with that, but as it was in the mid-90's, it's probably too late to correct the record. And also probably not a major factor in my future earnings. But I'm still not sure why it was all invisible to social security.
by Quirkz
Fri Feb 17, 2023 5:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: File return for dependent if nothing is owed or expected back?
Replies: 18
Views: 1435

Re: File return for dependent if nothing is owed or expected back?

Do you need to file to get the social security credits? I skipped one year in college because I figured it didn't matter, but the gap in the social security history has bugged me ever since.
by Quirkz
Tue Jan 24, 2023 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank didn't send 1099-INT, Tax Time
Replies: 26
Views: 4092

Re: Bank didn't send 1099-INT, Tax Time

Agree with others you're at least a week too early on this. Though if you have an online login for the bank you might be able to go and get it yourself.

But it's also true you don't need the 1099 to report the interest. If you know the amount, just add that to the interest field in the tax form.
by Quirkz
Fri Jan 13, 2023 9:15 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Defer pension for one year?
Replies: 34
Views: 2874

Re: Defer pension for one year?

I think for a 10%+ gain and a 5-year recoup term, I'd be inclined to defer, too.
by Quirkz
Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: If you are TRULY financially independent, why would you still work?
Replies: 427
Views: 41264

Re: If you are TRULY financially independent, why would you still work?

windaar wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 5:22 am I get that some people dislike their work, which above a certain socioeconomic level means that they simply chose poorly.
The thing is, I don't dislike *my* work, I dislike the trappings of work. I enjoy being productive. I dislike needing to put in 40 hours per week, the deadlines, the fixed schedules, the bosses, doing many of the same tasks over and over again for decades, and all of that stuff.

My ideal work week would be doing 5 very different things, 8 hours each, on a flexible schedule. That basically doesn't exist as a job, so I look forward to retirement.
by Quirkz
Tue Jan 03, 2023 11:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What video games are you currently playing?
Replies: 529
Views: 88362

Re: What video games are you currently playing?

Staples are Diablo 3 and Hearthstone. Recently picked up Diablo 2 resurrected, but mostly just played enough to remember what I've appreciated about improvements in D3. Extremely funny: West of Loathing (a few years old) and Shadows over Loathing (brand new). Silly stick figure graphics, great music, some of the best writing you'll find in a video game, and game that ranges from fairly easy if you want it to surprising depth if you want to go looking for it. West of Loathing hits all the cowboy/western themes, while Shadows Over Loathing has Cthulhu and prohibition vibes. Some other RPGs I've poured too much time into: Torchlight 2 (like Diablo 2, but more steampunk, better quality of life to the gameplay) Legend of Grimrock 2 - a modern fi...
by Quirkz
Tue Jan 03, 2023 1:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do people consider vacation balance in their emergency fund?
Replies: 52
Views: 3555

Re: Do people consider vacation balance in their emergency fund?

Nope. Not liquid enough for me. Plus emergencies can come from directions other than job loss.
by Quirkz
Mon Jan 02, 2023 4:33 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tracking your net worth. Now is a good time to start.
Replies: 99
Views: 13998

Re: Tracking your net worth. Now is a good time to start.

I've also been doing annual net worth tallies. It's nice to see the progress. For the cars in particular, I'm a big fan of keeping it simple. My car may have some value, but I'm really unlikely to sell it for spending money because then I wouldn't be able to use it for work and/or personal transportation. Nobody cares about the actual replacement value except for my insurance. I use a 3-second method where I take a loose and very pessimistic guess, and then round down to the nearest $5k. My car's a basic compact SUV in the middle of its life? Call that $10k and be done with it. Spending even 5 minutes looking up the KBB value to determine that it's somewhere between $12k and $18k would be mostly a waste of my time, unless I'm actively plann...
by Quirkz
Sat Dec 31, 2022 8:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: did you beat the index in 2022?
Replies: 50
Views: 6731

Re: did you beat the index in 2022?

smooth_rough wrote: Sat Dec 31, 2022 7:30 pm
Sounds like you didn't shift to defensive investing, and you are well positioned for the rebound. Can I ask your age?
47, with retirement more than a decade away. I've got a lot of time in the market left, and am committed to rolling with it rather than trying to beat it.

I am somewhere between 80/20 and 72/25. I'll glide down to 60/40 by retirement.
by Quirkz
Sat Dec 31, 2022 7:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: did you beat the index in 2022?
Replies: 50
Views: 6731

Re: did you beat the index in 2022?

S&P index down -19.5% for year 2022. Did you get better performance? How did you do it? What is your AA? I know this question is asked in good fun, but it also makes me cringe a little because "trying to beat the index" is this thing traditional stock brokers pushed on us as something not only important but necessary, when in reality most of the time the index is great, and trying to beat the index causes investors to get creative, usually with bad results. I'd like to see that question fade away, and be replaced with something more like, "Did you stick to the index? Keeping to the plan?" That said, not trying to rain on your parade or scold. Me, I'm only invested in indexes (mostly stock, some bond) so I nailed the...
by Quirkz
Wed Dec 28, 2022 11:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How often do you remodel your bathroom?
Replies: 67
Views: 9530

Re: How often do you remodel your bathroom?

There's a lot of odd, knee-jerk reactions to the question, which is maybe taking an odd approach to the issue. It's not at all about the frequency, and there's definitely no "normal." Remodeling is expensive and messy, and i think best done infrequently. There is no regular schedule for that. But if something is impractical or just plain ugly, remodeling may make sense. If there's damage, you want to fix that sooner rather than later -- whether it's just quick maintenance or a full remodel depends on your budget and the state of the rest of the room. I'm middle aged and have only ever remodeled maybe 1.25 bathrooms. The full remodel was due to buying a house that had grout damage in the shower, and it was clearly impacting the sur...
by Quirkz
Wed Dec 21, 2022 11:51 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What are your LEAST favorite vacation destinations
Replies: 399
Views: 43742

Re: What are your LEAST favorite vacation destinations

Bmac wrote: Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:07 am If not my least favorite, certainly the most underwhelming travel experience was Mount Rushmore. I realize creating it must have been quite a feat, but in person it just felt a bit overrated. Particularly given the lengths required to get there.
Agreed. Just not that exciting.

That said, all the other stuff in that region was pretty neat. I thoroughly enjoyed Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Crazy Horse, Devil's Tower, the Badlands, and what I saw of the Black Hills.
by Quirkz
Mon Nov 21, 2022 7:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to handle the large variations in ending value from planning tools?
Replies: 52
Views: 3035

Re: How to handle the large variations in ending value from planning tools?

Yes, the question is if things go better than the historical worst case how/when do you adjust spending estimates/amounts along the way so you enjoy a little more of what you invested/saved and your heirs enjoy a little less. I think you got your answer already but I'll try another metaphor. You check the weather forecast for next week, and it says sunny. What do you do if you check the weather forecast again in 3 days and it says chance of rain? Or if you check in 7 days and it says snow? You adjust to new information, of course. The model is necessarily fuzzy, and the farther out it goes, the fuzzier it gets. But the model isn't "run once and set for the rest of your life". The model is like the weather forecast. You check a fe...
by Quirkz
Fri Nov 18, 2022 11:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Considering a move with a lower pay
Replies: 39
Views: 3579

Re: Considering a move with a lower pay

As others have said, it sounds like the money isn't your top priority, and you ought to be fine in that respect after the move, even if it cuts some things back. I think it's worth living in a place you like, with opportunities that you value.

For whatever my personal anecdote is worth, I also took a pay cut to move from a small remote town to northern Oregon a couple of years ago, and my family has generally been happy with the change.
by Quirkz
Tue Oct 18, 2022 6:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Share your Net Worth Regression
Replies: 350
Views: 60143

Re: Share your Net Worth Regression

I started to run the numbers but then realized I think I'm just happier carefully ignoring the dips, the same way I studiously ignore the needle before getting a shot. I'm not going to totally bury my head in the sand, but I'd rather just let things go (and reassure myself I don't need any of it now, and I'm buying cheaper for the future) and leave it at that.
by Quirkz
Mon Oct 17, 2022 12:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Apple devices hate my fingerprint
Replies: 31
Views: 2302

Re: Apple devices hate my fingerprint

nisiprius wrote: Sun Oct 16, 2022 9:30 am I would just say "fingerprint sensors suck." The gimmicky gadget attraction is strong, but like many seemingly clever devices, as we would say fifty years ago, "this invention hasn't been perfected yet."
Yep. That's why I just use the code instead of relying on it. If it doesn't work well, don't use it.
by Quirkz
Tue Oct 11, 2022 4:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does working remotely limit advancement opportunities?
Replies: 57
Views: 4821

Re: Does working remotely limit advancement opportunities?

meadowrue wrote: Tue Oct 11, 2022 3:33 pm this opportunity is a dream job for me and they don’t seem to care where I’m based as long as I can travel to HQ every couple months. Now I just have to land the job, ha! Fingers crossed.
Given these words, I don't even understand why you're worrying about the promotion. That's the next job. Take this one because it's great for right now. Later, when you want to move on or up, worry about whether you look internally (promotion) or externally (yet another job).

So much of remote work is new for a lot of companies and people, the standards are still taking shape. What was true 3 years ago definitely isn't now, and likely by the time you're itching for a promotion, the whole landscape will have shifted again anyway.
by Quirkz
Tue Oct 11, 2022 11:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is $108K enough to live and raise a family in NJ?
Replies: 43
Views: 5054

Re: Is $108K enough to live and raise a family in NJ?

An important thing to note is it's not the dollar value of the house, it's the size of the mortgage. Are you saving now? How much of a down payment will you have when you go to buy? There's a HUGE difference between a $450k house with $150k down and a $300k mortgage, versus a $450k house with $25k down and a $425k mortgage.
by Quirkz
Thu Oct 06, 2022 10:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I pay a real estate agent 6% to sell my house?
Replies: 236
Views: 25483

Re: Should I pay a real estate agent 6% to sell my house?

Thanks all. I just did a Google search and found one agent that work on a flat fee basis for $22,000 which is way better than $96,000. I think I will try the flat fee rather than commission approach. I honestly do not think that an expensive house is more work to buy/sell than a less expensive house. Rather, the more time consuming homes are older homes, homes on land, homes on septic, homes in poor condition. The sales price has little to do with the complexity of sale and thus real estate should not be on commission. This thread got bumped after sitting idle from February. Curious minds demand resolution. How did this work out? Should the rest of us be considering it? I see you had a thread later in the year about the mover who wanted li...
by Quirkz
Thu Sep 29, 2022 5:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which is the best pizza in a chain store?
Replies: 110
Views: 10039

Re: Which is the best pizza in a chain store?

Honestly, I like Domino's. For a long time it was pretty bad, but they retooled a while back, and it's generally been better than the other chains I've tried.
by Quirkz
Mon Sep 26, 2022 10:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: All else equal, does lower pay lead to greater job security?
Replies: 24
Views: 2874

Re: All else equal, does lower pay lead to greater job security?

I'm going to call this a classic case of overthinking it.

"If I punch myself in the face, will it make the criminals on the street think I've already been mugged, and leave me alone?"
by Quirkz
Mon Sep 26, 2022 10:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Condo Special Assessment in a down market
Replies: 40
Views: 4140

Re: Condo Special Assessment in a down market

I would be screaming at the board about allowing payments over time if this involves multiple buildings. Here we had 15 buildings, only one done at a time, so we allowed owners to spread the $6,000/unit assessment over 5 years...$100/month. The HOA itself should also be able to borrow the funds to allow the above...though the owners might not be happy with current interest rates. Seconded. Nearly all the assessments I've been a part of have had a spread out option like that. A $3k painting fee paid at $300 for 10 months. My last place had a road replacement plan that ran for 10 years - 5 years to save up enough to do the work + another 5 years to kick-start the next repair, or something like that. My mom's condo had a quarter of a million ...
by Quirkz
Wed Sep 14, 2022 2:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to prepare down pay if you may or may not buy
Replies: 50
Views: 1414

Re: I want to buy a house even though it may not make sense

tcrez wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 9:05 pm Does anyone just find it really fun to click around on Zillow and entertaining the idea of making a purchase?
Sure. I own a house, and I still click around on Zillow and see what's out there. But I think houses are pretty neat, and I enjoy seeing the variety, and also keeping up with the current market. At the moment, I have no intention of moving, but we're trying to talk the in-laws into shifting to the area, so we're casually investigating for them. At other times I've dreamed about space or style upgrades, or different views.
by Quirkz
Fri Aug 26, 2022 12:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to break the pension Golden Handcuffs?
Replies: 62
Views: 7719

Re: How to break the pension Golden Handcuffs?

pasadena wrote: Wed Aug 24, 2022 8:17 pm Assuming you have the means to retire comfortably at 50, as you said, I would wait until 51. Yes, it's one more year, but the 50% medical (for life?) seems like a sweet deal for "just" one year.

I wouldn't do another 5 years after that. At some point, free life is more precious than more money, if you already have enough.
+1. There's a big step, and it's close to your stated "ability to retire" date. Hanging on one year for a large benefit may be worth it. After that the incremental additions add value if you're not already ready, but if you are ready, what's the point?